Caebubetoe



Aug. 25, 19253 I M. B. GORDON CARBURETOR CONTROL Filed July 5, 1922 INVENTOR! j Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITED STATES MYRON B. GORDON, OF EAST OB'ANGE, NEW JERSEY.

caaauaaron common.

Applicatiomflled July 3,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'MYRoN B. GORDON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have made a new and useful Invention in Carburetor Controls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to carburetor control and has for an object to produce a new and improved means for controlling carburetors so as I to automatically produce better economy in the operation of internal combustion engines. 1

A further object of my invention is to provide a new and improved means for automatically adjusting the supply 'of fuel delivered to a motor car engine in accord ance with variations in speed of the engine.

A further object of my invention is to produce a new and improved carburetor control for internal combustion engines which will automatically insure a rich mixture for starting purposes and for operation while the engine is heating up. w

A further object of my invention 1s to provide a new and improved automatic carburetor control which decreases the percentage of fuel in the explosive mixture asthe engine heats up, and which automati cally provides a relatively rich mixture for operation at low speeds and for starting, irrespective of the engine being heated up.

A further object of my invention is to produce a new and improved carburetor control which may be easily fitted to existing carburetors and which will automatically screw down the needle valve of the carburetor so as to give the leanest eflicient fuel mixture to meet varying operatm'gconditionsof the engine which the carburetor serves.

A further object of my invention is to I produce a new and improved device for regulating the needle valve of a carburetor in accordance with the speed of the engine with which the carburetor is connected.

These and other objects which will be made apparent throughout the further description of my invention are attained by means of apparatus embodying the features herein described and illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof. 4

I have found by experiment that a saving of about 33% in fuel may be obtained by properly adjusting the carburetor to 1922. Serial No. 572,784.

meet varying speeds and temperatures, as compared to operating with a fixed carburetor adjustment which permits easy starting and operation as low speeds or before the engine is properly heated, as well as operation at normal speeds and temperatures. In addition to better economy in fuel resulting from proper carburetor adjustment,I have found that the engine, under such conditions, operates better and does not get fouled with carbon so quickly.

Temperature devices have been devised for providing a rich mixture when the en gine is cold, and I have found by experiment that such devices are objectionable because they do not compensate for varying engine speeds.

hills or at low speeds.

holds the needle valve of the carburetor open abnormally until the engine is heating up." However, when starting with the engine hot, Ihave found that such a device is objectionable because it maintains I the mixture so lean that starting is diflicult.

I have also found that a device for varying the mixture in accordance with the en-- gine speed alone has the objectionable feature of cutting down the mixture as soon as the engine gets up to speed and before it is properly heated up. As a result the engine will stall easily, if it will operate at all, until it has been operated long enough to get well heated up.

In my invention I have combined both the temperature and the speed control in a very simple manner by means of a device which may be easily attached to existing motor cars or which may, if desired, be embodied in theoriginal construction thereof. In operation the device is entirely automatic in action and results in operation at the greatest efiiciency under all operating con-, ditions, when properly installed and set. The construction is such that the first cost may be so low that the device saves more than its cost, in fuel economy, in a short time.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a carburetor controlling device embodying the features of my invention and associated with an internal combustion engine of a type frequently used in motor cars.

usual manner. The air drawn through the "radiator passes back over the engine and out through openings in the hood, not shown, of the motor car, and also around the rear part of the engine and out below the car. Thls'current of air is relatively strong and assists in cooling the engine, as is well '0 known to those skilled in the art. 7

As illustrated, the engine is provided with an intake manifold 7, an exhaust manifold 8, and acarburetor 9 inthe usual manner. This 2; general construction is familiar to those skilled in the art andrequires no further description. The carburetor illustrated is of the type having a needle valve stem 10 extending'upwards outside of the carburetor, and by means of which the needle valve may be turned so as to vary the proportion of air and gasoline drawn into the engme.-

In the construction illustrated the carburetor stem 10 terminates at its upper end in a flat plate 11 provided with two holes 12. A forked rod, extending from the dash board of the car is ordinarily provided for turning the carburetor stem 10, the two prongs of the fork resting in the holes 12. In the apparatus illustrated the forked rod has been'removed and replaced by an automatic carburetor control embodying the fea-, tures of my invention.

As shown a sheet metal vane 13, having a lower flange 14 and an upper flange 15, is attached to the carburetor stem 10 by means of a small bolt 16 passing through the lower flange 14 and a small bracket 17. As illustrated in'Fig. 2, the bracket 17 consists of a strip of sheet metal bent upward in the middle in order to form a ocket in which a nutl-S (shown in Fig. 1) 1s held in such a manner as to prevent the nut from turning when the bolt 16 is screwed down. The outer ends of the bracket 17 are bent down so as to form projections 19 which are adapted to fit in the holes 12 in the flatplate 11 of ported at its upper end the carburetor stem 10.

As shown the vane 13 is pivotally supby means of a bracket 20 which is illustrated as passing around the exhaust manifold 8, and as provided with a downwardly extending pin 21 passing through the upper flange 15 of the vane 13.: bolt 22 serves to clamp the bracket 20 rigidly on the exhaust manifold arm 23 which extends along the exhaust manifold 8 towards the front of the engine 5, and which acts as a support for a strip of thermostatic metal 24. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the thermostatic metal is made up of two strips of metal 25 and 26 having diflerentcoeflicients of expansion, welded or otherwise secured together so as to be distorted by different rates of expansion of the two component metals when subjected to changes in temperature. As shown the thermostatic stri 24 is rigidly secured to the outer end f t e arm 23 by means of a rivet 27 The outer'end of the arm 23 is shown as bent over so that the thermostatic strip 24 is spaced away from the arm 23. The strip 24 is attached so that its free end tends to bend towards the exhaust manifold 8 as it is heated up, and vice versa.

Fig. 3 is a' plan view of the upper flange 15 of the vane 13, the "bracket 20 being broken away so as to more clearly show the construction of the upper flange 15. As illustrated the flange 15 is provided at its inner end with a series of steps or notches 29, each slightl further away from the pin 21 in a radial irection, the highest step being nearest the bodyof the vane 13.

In adjusting the apparatus illustrated, the thermostatic strip 24 is bent until its free end engages the first of the steps 29 with the strip cold. It is therefore evident that the strip prevents the vane.13 from swinging backward until the strip is heated up s'ufliciently to cause the free end to clear the first of the steps 29. Thevane may then swing backwards until the free end of the strip catches on the second and next higher of the steps 29. As the strip 24 is further deflected by increasing temperatures, the vane is released to swing backwards step by step as the free end of the strip successively clears the steps.

'As illustrated a stop 30 is provided to limit the extreme backward swin of the vane-13. This stop is shown as belng sufiiline 32 indicates the extreme backward position of the vane 13.

The operation of the device illustrated is as follows: With the engine 4 cold, the

free end of the strip 24 is engaged with the first and lowest step 27 on the flange '15 and consequently the vane 13 is locked in its foremost position. The adjustment between the vane 13 and the carburetor stem 10 is such that the needle valve is opened sufficiently to (produce a relatively rich mixture of air an gasoline.

The rich mixture enables the engine to be easily started. As the engine speeds up the blast of air from the fan 6 impinges on the vane 13 and tends to swing it backward, and to thereby screw down the carburetor stem 10. The screwingdown of 'the carburetor stem would result in a leaner mixture but it is desirable to maintain the rich mixture until the engine becomes partially heated up. This is accomplished byreason of the thermostatic strip-24 which is engaged with the first of the steps 29.

As the engine 5, and hence the exhaust manifold 8, becomesheated up, the heat is of the strip 24 in response to the increasing temperature of the engine.

The apparatus illustrated is preferably so proportioned that the vane 13 is de- 'flected to its rearmost position when the engine is operating at high vspeed and'is well heated up. When the vane is in this position the carburetor stem 10 is turned sufficiently to provide the leanest eflicient mixture for the engine.

As the engine slows down a richer mix ture is required in order to'insure proper functioning of the engine. -The reduced speed of the engine results in a similar reduction in the force of the blast of air from the fan 6. As a result the force of the spring 31 is sufiicient to partially overcome the force of the blast on the vane so that the vane is swung forward to an intermediate posltlon. This results in a rlcher mixture and therefore in perfect function:

ing. of the engine. g

When the engine is stopped the spr ng 31 returns the vane to its foremost position so as to produce the richest mixture when the engine is again started. 'If the engine is started while still hot, the thermostatic strip 24 is not effective in checking the backward swing of the vane 13 and therefore the mixture is cut down as soon as the engine speeds up. This action is desirable because of the heat of the engine, which opcrates better and more efliciently with a partially effective in checking the backward swing of the vane. If properly adjusted the device will therefore automatically adjust the carburetor to meet different starting conditions. 7

lVhen climbing hills the load on the engine increases and a richer mixture is desirable as soon as the engine begins to slow down under the increased load. This is accomplished by reason of the reduced air blast which permits the spring 31 to swing the vane forward and to thereby increase the proportion of fuel in the mixture. If the engine is shifted into a lower gear ratio the engine torque is .reduced, its speed is mcreased and therefore a leaner 'mixture can be used. As the air blast from the fan 6 is more effective than the air blast due to the movement of the car, the increased. speed of the engine results in a leaner mixture by reason of the greater force of the air blast from the fan 6. It is therefore evident that the mixture is varied in accordance-with thespeedwof the engine, without requiring any attention from the operator of the car, and that this control is modified in accordance with the temperature of the engine when starting or operating with the engine cold.

The adjustment of the device illustrated may be varied to meet extreme winter and summer operating conditions by varying the torque of the spring 31, by bending the thermostatic strip 24, and by loosening the bolt 16 and changin the relative position of, the'vane 13 and the carburetor stem 10. The extreme backward position of the vane 13 may also be altered by bending the stop The apparatus described does not interfere" with the use of a choke valve, not shown, by. means of which themixture is made extremely rich for starting purposes during very cold weather. However as the device. maintains a rich mixture until the engine is heated up, it is evident that the choke does not have to be used after the engine starts to operate under its own power.

It is evident thatthe construction illustrated is of such a nature as to be easily be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, additions and omissions may be made in the apparatus illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth by the appended claims.

What I claim is: 1. In combination with an internal combustion engine having a fan for assisting in the cooling of the engine and acarburetor for delivering a mixture of fuel and airto the engine, a needle valve forming a part of said carburetor and controlling the proportion of fuel in the mixture, means responsive to the blast of air from the fan for turning the needle valve to vary the proportion of fuel in the mixture in accordance with variations in the speed of the engine, and means responsive to variations in temperature of the en 'ne for restricting the operation of the last responsive means in accordance with the heat of the engine. 2. In a carburetor controllin device, means responsive to the speed 0% the engine with which the carburetor is associated for controlling the carburetor needle valve, and means res onsive to the temperature of the engine or restricting the action of the speed responsive means.

3. In combination with an internal combustion engine having a fan driven by the engine, and a carburetor for supplying a mixture of fuel and air to the engine, a vane exposed to the blast from the fan and means actuated by the vane for varying the proportion of fuel and air in the mixture going to the engine in response to variations in the blast of air from the fan, means operatively connected with said vane tending to oppose the blast of air from the fan, and a thermostatic element responsive to the heat of the engine for preventing movement of the vane in response to the blast from the fan until the engine becomes at least partially heated up.

4. In combination with an internal combustion engine, means responsive to the movement of air relative to the engine for controlling the carburetor needle valve, and means responsive to the temperature of the engine for maintaining a rich mixture of fuel andv air delivered to the engine while the engine is heating up. K,

5; In combination with, an internal combustionengine having a carburetor with a valve for controlling the richness of the fuel mixture delivered to the en 'ne, a vane operatively connected with said valve and exposed to a blast of air moving past the engine in such a manner that the force of the blast tends to move the vane so as to cut down on the percentage of fuel in the mixture, meanstending to oppose the force of the blast on the vane, means for varying the adjustment between the vane and the valve, a series of notches or steps associated with said vane, and temperature responsive means for engaging said notches successively so as to' prevent movement of the vane by the blast until various temperatures have been successively attained.

6. A carburetor controlling device comprising a vane operatively connected with a carburetor in such a manner that movement of the vane varies the mixture of fuel and air delivered by the carburetor, said vane being res onsive to a blast of' air, a flange on sai 'vane having a series of notches 01' steps, a thermostatic element engaging said notches for preventin motion of the vane in one direction unt predevalve havin a protruding stem and control-; ling the ric ness of the fuel and. air mix-1 ture, a vane mounted on said protruding stem and exposed to the blast of air from the fan in such a manner that the force of the blast on the vane tends'to close the needle valve, a bracket attached to the exhaust manifold for supporting the upper end of the vane and having an arm extending along the exhaust manifold, a flange associated with the vane and" having a series of steps, a strip of thermostatic metal secured to the arm of the bracket and having a free end engaging the steps on the flange in such a manner as to o pose the movement of the vane in the direction which tends to close the needle valve, anda spring tending to hold the Vane in the position which results in the richest mixture.

8. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a source of gaseous fuel supply, means movable in response to the variations of an air blast past the engine to vary the quality of the fuel mixture delivered to the engine, and thermostatic means, responsive to variations in the temperature of the engine, for controlling the movement of'said means in one direction.

9. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a source of fuel mixture supply, means res 'onsive to variations in the intensity of a bl for varying the quality of the mixture delivered to the engine, and thermostatic means responsive to temperature changes in the engine for restraining a movement of said first mentioned means tending to impoverish the mixture, but. imposing no r'e.

straining eflect on movements tending to enrich the mixture. 1 m

ast of air passing the engine 10. In combination with an internal comto permit a step by steplmovement of said. 10 bustion engine, a source of fuel mixture first mentioned means in its movement to supply, means responsive to variations in impoverishthe mixture as the temperature I the speed of the engine for varying the .of the engine increases. I quality of the fuel mixture delivered to the In testimony whereof, I have hereunto engine, and thermostatic means responsive subscribed my name this 26th day of June, 1

to temperature variations of the engine 1922. I

adapted to oppose a mixture impoverishing t movement of said first mentioned. means and MYRON B. GORDON. 

